Cool hotels of London: K West Hotel & Spa

Sat on a quiet residential street in West London, K West Hotel & Spa with its huge glass front exterior, cuts a surreally striking figure, especially amongst the sea of Victorian terraced houses which surround it. Just a mere two minute stroll from Shepherd’s Bush station and the shopping behemoth Westfield London, K West is a former BBC office turned luxurious 4-star hotel with a very cool contemporary design. It’s also a celebrity hotspot. Thanks to its close proximity to music, film and TV studios and, many an A-list celebrity and band member has drunk (and probably passed out) in its bar or slept in one of their huge rooms.

Although of course, non-celebrities are also welcome and we were lucky enough to be invited to stay at the hotel, and also try out the on-site spa, reputedly to be one of the best spas in London. We opted to stay on our anniversary on what turned out to be one of the hottest weekends of the year, thank goodness for air-con.

Deceptively small at the front, K West stretches a long way back with eerily silent, fashionably dark corridors that carry on for what seems like an eternity. There is a choice of six types of rooms ranging from Junior Doubles to the very A-lister worthy K Signature Suites. Although to be honest all the rooms are pretty special…and immaculately finished. The rooms vary slightly in size and decor but every room has a large flat screen TV, audio entertainment, air conditioning and probably the hugest hotel bed you are ever likely to sleep in. The design is sleek minimalist and bang-on-trend (please other fashionable hotels in London take note!). Little details really do count in this hotel and even the basic deluxe rooms feature hand-made mattresses, a handy work space, Wi-Fi and a fully stocked mini-bar.

We stayed in the Executive room which was very spacious (very unusual for a London hotel), had a separate living area complete with sofa, TV, CD/DVD player, work desk and MP3 player connectivity, and their signature super king-sized bed that you could easily get lost in. The bathroom was equally as gorgeous with a modern design and a range of luxurious bath products.

Downstairs and very near the reception filled with attractive, creative types we found the K West library (the resident quiet space with free internet access) and the K Lounge bar, a cocktail bar with candle lit tables, cushioned sofas and regular crowd-pulling DJ nights which make it equally as famous as the hotel which houses it. Although you won’t need to worry about the noise, our room at K West was probably one of the quietest hotel rooms we’ve ever stayed in.

Take a look further downstairs in the hotel basement and you’ll also find K Fit and K Spa which was awarded the top rating of “5 Bubbles” in the 2013 Good Spa Guide. Apparently even Rihanna and Dizzy Rascal are fans. Not too long ago it had a very glamorous £2million makeup and it shows, the spa is seriously gorgeous. It includes a surprisingly large gymnasium, a yoga and aerobics studio, treatment rooms offering an excellent range of treatments and a relaxation room where guests sip fruit-flavoured water and K West signature blended tea.

Although it’s the wet spa is arguably the most impressive. It’s visually very beautiful with loungers recessed into the walls and subtle mood lighting, but the spa also has some superb additions built around the hot-cold therapy ethos – a hydrotherapy pool, saunas, eucalyptus steam rooms and (a first in London) a ‘Snow Paradise’. Taking the hot-cold theme to the extreme, the freezing room filled with real snow is kept at minus 15 degrees. If you’re brave enough to give it a try, make sure you wear the provided plastic flip-flops (if you dare to stand on the snow without them you’ll probably run out screaming after just a few seconds).

By now we were getting far too used to the celebrity lifestyle but alas it was time to leave, but not before without trying the K West breakfast. The hotel breakfast restaurants are split into continental and cooked options and what floor you headed to, depended on what you fancied eating that morning. We choose the cooked version which was served in the Kanteen, a restaurant on the first floor which carries on the hotel’s contemporary theme. They even catered to my tricky diet (both vegetarian and gluten-free) and when I explained the order to our smiley, well-dressed waitress, she didn’t even bat an eyelid.

Born in England, with a few family roots from Bavaria, and a heart in Scandinavia I've always been a bit of a restless soul. My first true adventure began as a six month voyage around South East Asia as a fresh faced backpacker and ever since I've lived a semi nomadic existence, clocking up over 40 countries on trips and living in Dublin, South East Asia and Australia. I'm a lover of US Road Trips, deserted beaches bathed in warm glow of a sunset, Cuban mojitos, easy-on-the-eye travel destinations far away from the tourist crowds and all things Scandinavian - from cloudberry liquors to Scandi Noirs. When not wandering the world, you'll find me walking my rescue dog in leafy South West London, strolling around the Brighton Laines on random day trips, hunting for photogenic landscapes or daydreaming about returning to my all time favourite places in the world; Havana, Copenhagen, Italy, Thailand and the frozen landscapes of a wintry Iceland. Follow Becky on Twitter and Google+.

Though I’m traveling many times to London but never stay in this hotel. After going through your post I think it will be good hotel and want to stay at least one night coming next trip. The spa is looking gorgeous.

Graham

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Hi I'm Becky, a semi nomadic traveller but otherwise the UK-based owner of Global Grasshopper – an award winning blog and resource for independent travellers. I'm also joined by a team of self-confessed travel snobs and together we're embarking on a journey to unravel the secrets of the world's most unique, under-the-radar and beautiful places. Whether you are a backpacker, a flashpacker or just prefer to holiday away from the crowds, subscribe to our email post alert for uplifting photography, guides & stories from our many collective journeys and inspiration for the road less travelled.

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